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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24014731">Danganronpa - Zombie AU</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/sai_ouma_trash/pseuds/sai_ouma_trash'>sai_ouma_trash</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing, Super Dangan Ronpa 2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(?), Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Zombies, Amputation, Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Apocalypse, Background Relationships, Biological Weapons, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Death, Established Relationship, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Is Alive, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/F, F/M, Gore, Heavy Angst, How Do I Tag, I swear, I was going to have people die but decided against it, I'm Bad At Stories, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Sorry, Implied Relationships, Kinda, Loss of Limbs, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Mary Sue, Minor Character Death, Mystery, Near Death, Near Death Experiences, Nonbinary Character, Not Really Character Death, OCs - Freeform, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Original Character/Canon - Freeform, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Prosthesis, Relationship(s), Sane Enoshima Junko, Search for a Cure, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Surprisingly, Survival, This has a lot of ocs, Trauma, Violence, Weapons, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies, but they play a big role, by a lot I mean like four, it has a happy ending, no one dies, relationships are mainly in the background for the most part, so if ocs annoy you this probably isn't the thing for you, so instead everyone is going to be traumatized, this is a zombie apocalypse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:47:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,113</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24014731</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/sai_ouma_trash/pseuds/sai_ouma_trash</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It had been like any other normal day at Hope’s Peak.</p><p>Then, the alarm sounded.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akamatsu Kaede/Iruma Miu, Asahina Aoi/Ogami Sakura, Chabashira Tenko/Yumeno Himiko, Fukawa Touko/Naegi Komaru, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, K1-B0/Original Character(s), Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto, Koizumi Mahiru/Saionji Hiyoko, Kuwata Leon/Original Character(s), Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko/Pekoyama Peko, Mitarai Ryota/Ultimate Imposter, Nanami Chiaki/Original Female Character(s), Nidai Nekomaru/Owari Akane, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi, Tsumiki Mikan/Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>91</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue (opt.)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>*This is an optional chapter that isn't necessary to read to understand the main story. It just felt sorta awkward starting the story out of nowhere, so. uh. Yeah. ^^;</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been like any other normal day at Hope’s Peak- at least, what could be considered ‘normal’ for a place with such a wide pool of different personalities and talents. The three grade levels were in the large, shared cafeteria, different groups of friends conversing and laughing among one another like they did every day.</p><p>Then, the alarm sounded. </p><p>A voice came over the intercom; in fact, it was the one and only principle of the school, Jin Kirigiri. Most of the students had been overwhelmed with shock to act, confused as to why they were suddenly being told to evacuate the campus or find a safe spot. That was until one of the second-years from Class 78, Sayaka Maizono, suddenly screamed, and the windows of the cafeteria were being hammered by a mob of people. No- not people, <em> zombies </em>. Some students followed the announcement and began running out of the cafeteria, some began pushing tables against the windows to create a makeshift barricade, some began shouting to find their friends or significant other, and some were paralyzed with fear, unable to do anything. Then, the first crack in the glass signified the start of the disaster. Quickly after, as more zombies put strain on the glass, it shattered. That afternoon was the reason as to why Hope’s Peak Academy had suddenly been overrun, and the country was experiencing a breakout- an apocalypse.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Day One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kokichi has to convince Hoshi to leave the Academy behind, along with the possibility of her girlfriend inside. He has to convince himself to do the same, worried about his boyfriend.<br/>~~~<br/>Rantaro discovers an interesting way to slip past the people-eating monsters, taking caution and trying to prevent anyone else from getting hurt.<br/>~~~<br/>Shuichi, Kaede, Kaito, and Maki escape a classroom being overrun, and keep moving in search of their classmates and friends, as well as supplies.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter will introduce one of four OCs (original characters) that will be a part of this AU! The OC in this chapter is Hoshi Senshi, the Ultimate Voice Actor. She is a part of Class 79 (DRV3). Just incase anyone is wondering what she looks like for the purpose of being able to comprehend some things easier, I'll include her character description here:</p><p>Appearance: Shoulder-length brown hair with the ends dyed purple or pink. Green eyes and teal glasses. Purple flannel with a jean jacket or hoodie. Often wears jeans and ankle-high socks with blue and gray sneakers. Wears a gold chain necklace with a golden ring on it, as well as a variety of bracelets and occasionally a ring or two. 5’2.</p><p>Personality: Hoshi is extremely kind and friendly, and easy-going. She can be quiet or loud and obnoxious at times, depending on how close she’s with the people she’s around. She often jokes around and assists in pranks, but is always there for others when they need help or someone to talk to. She has quite self-destructive behaviors, mainly in regard of lack of care for herself, as well as putting everyone before her.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Chiaki! <em> Chiaki! </em>”</p><p>“Hoshi, we have to <em> go! </em>” Kokichi yanked on the girl’s arm, urging her away from the school. They had been split apart from the rest of their friends, and things were happening so quickly they didn’t even know if they were still alive at this point.</p><p>“I have to find her, Kokichi! What if she needs help?!” The fence began to creak, indicating the little amount of time they had before the horde would be after them. Kokichi let out an exasperated sigh, raising his voice. </p><p>“You won’t be able to help her if you’re dead! Move it!” Hesitantly, Hoshi allowed Kokichi to drag her away from the Academy, running alongside him. They weren’t sure where they were running to, only that it was <em> away </em> from the deadheads surrounding the school.</p><p>“So? What’s the plan, Supreme Leader?” Hoshi asked as they stopped around a corner in an alley to catch their breath. Kokichi thought for a moment, before giving her a smile—a forced one, Hoshi could tell.</p><p>“Nishishi… Guess we’ll just have to find a place to settle down until we can meet up with everyone else again. We’ll find them in no time.” With a sudden clatter on the other side of the alley, Hoshi and Kokichi stood on alert. As expected, a zombie hobbled into sight, knocking a trashcan out of the way. By the sound growing louder on the street which they had come from, it was safe to assume that the horde was catching up.</p><p>“Kokichi, up!” He looked up to where Hoshi was pointing, and nodded. They climbed onto a dumpster, and Hoshi boosted him up onto the roof of the building. Quickly grabbing a loose pipe for some form of a weapon, she reached up to grab Kokichi’s hands. He began pulling her up, before shouting-</p><p>“Hey, your leg!” Taken by surprise, Hoshi screamed at the zombie which grabbed her ankle and pulled her back down. Kokichi tightened his grip on her arms, struggling to hold her weight. Hoshi looked down at the creature, kicking her leg to try and loosen it’s grip.</p><p>“S-Shit!” She pried her right arm free of Kokichi’s grip, who latched onto her other arm with both of his hands, trying to keep her from falling. Swinging with pure adrenaline, Hoshi smacked the zombie in the head. It took several swings before it let go, and when it finally did Kokichi heaved Hoshi onto the roof, breathing heavily. She took a moment to catch her bearings, still shaking.</p><p>“Thanks…” She murmured, rolling over onto her back along with Kokichi.</p><p>“Yeah,” he replied. “No problem.” It didn’t take long before several grimy hands began hitting the dumpster, gurgling and trying to climb up after them. Hoshi quickly stood, offering a hand to Kokichi and pulling him up, before motioning towards the other side of the roof.</p><p>“Come on, let’s get higher up so they can’t reach us as well.” She began going over so she could help him up again, but turned to look at him at noticing that he was standing still. “Hey, is something wrong—?” Hoshi then understood what he was looking at, standing next to him with a gut-wrenching feeling in her stomach. Looking out at the city from a higher standpoint, it was easier to truly understand how tragic the situation was. The streets were filled with mindless creatures, the stench of blood and rotten flesh growing ever more vulgar. Hoshi looked down at Kokichi, a blank expression on his face showing no visible emotion. Though after knowing him for nearly eight months, she knew that the lack of emotion meant he was feeling <em> too </em> much. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder, offering a soft smile.</p><p>“Hey… I’m sure Shuichi is okay.” Kokichi winced slightly, confirming that he had been thinking about the detective. “He’s probably with Kaito and Maki, they’d never let anything happen to him. And besides, he can take care of himself too.” Elbowing him in the side, he took a deep breath and nodded.</p><p>“Yeah. Yeah… We’ll find him. Chiaki, too.” Hoshi smiled, giving a thumbs up.</p><p>“That’s the spirit. Now, c’mon, Supreme Leader. Let’s find some stuff to keep us going.”</p><p>
  <b>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b>
</p><p>Rantaro sighed, cursing under his breath as he plunged the cleaver into the zombie’s stomach, pulling it down and gutting it. He coughed, covering his mouth with a cloth and feeling thankful that he had worn gloves before starting. </p><p>“Pray Atua, hope this works,” he mumbled, throwing on the raincoat he had found. He reached into the gutted zombie, pulling out a handful of the guts and blood before coating his arms and chest with it, making sure to get some on his back as well. He adjusted the makeshift helmet, before covering it with the blood as well. He wanted to avoid getting it on his skin as much as possible, that he was sure of.</p><p>Taking a deep breath, he stood up and clutched onto the cleaver, slowly walking out around the corner. A group of zombies—about seven, from what he could tell—groaned as they lumbered around carelessly. He approached them, stumbling similarly to the way they did, and observing how they reacted, on the alert if one made a move to attack him. A few of the zombies curiously looked in his direction, but that was it. He slowly walked through the group, backtracking and making his way through a second time to pick up his bag at the original alley. He leaned back against the wall, pulling off the helmet and taking deep breaths to calm his pulse. He was glad that he had tested that theory, now knowing of a backup plan if he were to run into trouble with a much larger horde. Before heading elsewhere, he carefully took out the group, hoping that by doing so he would be able to possibly prevent anyone else from getting attacked.</p><p>He could only hope that everyone else was safe.</p><p>
  <b>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b>
</p><p>“Damn! How many of these things are there?!”</p><p>“What even are they? I-I mean- I know they’re zombies, but.. How did this happen?”</p><p>“Wherever they came from, they’re a real pain in the ass.”</p><p>“Guys, over here!” Kaito, Shuichi, and Maki looked over as Kaede called out to them, waving them over to the classroom window. “Shuichi, do you think we can get out this way?” Shuichi hurried over to her as Kaito and Maki continued to fend off the zombies breaking through the barricade on the door, examining the potential exit.</p><p>“I-I think we might be able to.. Let’s see.. if we climbed onto the ledge, then-” A chair fell off of the barricade, making a loud crash and alerting more zombies to the classroom. Kaito punched one of the closer ones, knocking it backwards as he and Maki strained to keep them out.</p><p>“Come on, sidekick! Hurry it up!”</p><p>“R-Right!” Shuichi quickly unlocked the latches on the window, pushing it open and</p><p>making a final few observations before turning to the pianist. “K-Kaede, climb out onto the ledge and then jump over to that portion of the roof!” Kaede smiled, holding both of her fists up.</p><p>“Alright, I trust you.” She did as Shuichi said, carefully adjusting her footing before leaping over to the other roof safely.</p><p>“Go. Now!” Maki called to him. Nervously, he nodded, following Kaede’s steps. However, before he jumped over to where Kaede stood, the window from the floor beneath him shattered, and a cluster of zombies came tumbling out and onto the ground.</p><p>“Shuichi, jump!” Kaede’s voice broke Shuichi out of his panic, and he took a deep breath before jumping after her. She grabbed his hand, helping him up next to her.</p><p>“K-Kaito! Maki!” Shuichi called out, worriedly. Kaede held onto his arm, hoping to provide some comfort.</p><p>“Kaito, you—”</p><p>“Go ahead, Maki.” Kaito gave her a thumbs up, along with a reassuring smile. “C’mon, sidekick! No time like the present!” Hesitantly, Maki left Kaito by the barricade and ran over to the window, jumping over without any trouble.</p><p>“Okay. Now, Kaito—” Maki was cut off as she turned, awaiting Kaito to follow after her. The barricade quickly began to collapse, a desk falling off and nearly hitting him on the head. He jumped backwards, the zombies on the other side of the door breaking through into the classroom as the barricade collapsed. “Kaito!”</p><p>“Damn,” he muttered, quickly racing over to the window. He squeezed out the window, and tried to jump over to the other three. Though as he left the ledge, his foot slipped, cutting him short of being able to grab the other portion of the roof. Before he fell to the ground, two people grabbed onto his arms, leaving him hanging by a thread (figuratively, and quite literally.)</p><p>“Idiot. You’re lucky you had us here.” Maki, who had dug her fingers into the wall and broken some of the bricks, had grabbed Kaito’s right arm, and Shuichi, gripping onto the side of the roof, had grabbed Kaito’s left arm while Kaede held tightly onto both of them in order to stop them from going over the edge with him. He chuckled as they pulled him up, patting them both on the back.</p><p>“Nice going, sidekicks! Thanks!” Shuichi smiled, laughing nervously. He looked over the city, a wave of anxiety washing over him as he got lost in his thoughts and worry causing his stomach to turn inside out. He was startled as Kaede suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling.</p><p>“Hey, I know Kokichi is out there somewhere. With your skills, you’ll be able to find him in no time!” Shuichi sighed, nodding softly.</p><p>“Right… He can take care of himself..” He smiled, adjusting his hat. “A-Alright, let’s go..!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AAAA okay, thank you so much for reading this and I hope that it's okay 🥺 I will try to include as many perspectives as possible, though it will probably be mainly Kokichi and Hoshi.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Day Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kirumi makes tea for Angie and Gonta who thank Atua for keeping their friends safe, and Celestia who suggests a game of cards.<br/>~~~<br/>Akemi comes back from a supply run and returns to Kazumi, Mikan, Teruteru, and Hifumi, who agree that it is time to move out.<br/>~~~<br/>Tsumugi keeps her hands busy with sewing and is given a pep-talk by Toko, with Komaru who glad that they can keep their spirits up.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>In this chapter, two more OCs will be introduced! (Both whom are non-binary and use they/them pronouns ^^)</p>
<p>Akemi Chida, the Ultimate Archer</p>
<p>Appearance: Short, androgynous styled brownish-blonde hair with some red streaks. Blue eyes. Wears a green hat, and always carries their bow and arrows with them on their back. Green over-jacket with a white shirt underneath. Belt with tan/brown pants rolled up under the knees, and black boots. 5’10.</p>
<p>Personality: Akemi is quiet and reserved, but extremely friendly once they open up. They are observant, cautious, though willing to help. They are always up for a challenge, and can be quite self-assured and cocky at times. Akemi is usually quite calm, though there are some things which can piss them off and make them extremely angry.</p>
<p>Kazumi Akashi, the Ultimate Baker</p>
<p>Appearance: Long light brown/pink hair in an updo, held up by a pink bandana. Golden eyes. Pink apron with a white shirt, and a blue skirt. Brown loafers, and white knee-high socks. 5’3.</p>
<p>Personality: Kazumi is extremely kind and is easily excitable. They can be clumsy at times, but can also become determined to complete a certain task. They are down-to-earth and difficult to upset, but at times can be frightening.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Nyahaha! Praise Atua! It is only because of him that we have survived to this day!” Angie raised her arms above her head, hopping around with a smile on her face. Celestia tittered, holding her hand over her lips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my… If that is the case, then I suppose that we are indebted to this ‘Atua.’”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gonta want to thank Atua! Gonta happy that Atua keep Gonta’s friends safe!” Kirumi sighed softly, shushing the group as she pulled the kettle off of the stove. Smiling, she poured the three a cup of tea. Well… as close to ‘tea’ as they could find. Kirumi had found some tea leaves and put them into boiling water, which provided more or less the same taste.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes… We truly do owe our thanks to Atua. We can only hope that Atua is watching over the rest of our friends, as well.” Angie took a sip out of her cup, humming and bobbing her head from side-to-side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Atua tells me… That everyone is under his watchful eye!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Friends are safe?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mhm-mhm! Atua’s word is always true!” Gonta sighed with relief, happily sipping on the tea. Determined, he held a hand to his chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gonta will protect Angie, Kirumi, and Celestia so that Atua can protect friends more!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That is very thoughtful of you, Gonta,” Kirumi spoke, feeling calm, despite the situation. “As my duty as a maid, I will do my very best to ensure that we find our classmates soon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How dependable…” Celestia giggled, taking a sip of tea before covering her lips with her fist. “If it is too much to ask, may I request a game of cards?” She held up a box of cards, smiling smugly. Kirumi nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course. I believe that a few games will certainly help ease our nerves.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gonta! Atua says that we should paint a beautiful image to restore his power so he can help our friends!” Angie smiled holding up her paintbrush. Gonta gasped excitedly, nodding.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes! Gonta will draw many pictures if it will help Atua keep friends safe! Gonta is not very good at drawing, but Gonta will try!” In the homey atmosphere of the abandoned apartment they had taken safety in, the group managed to keep a sense of normalcy, almost as if they were still at Hope’s Peak in the courtyard which was full of life and the gatherings of their friends.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hopefully they would be able to return to life like that, someday...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>An arrow fired through the head of a zombie lingering near the door, and Akemi snuck closer, cautious for any others. It was dark out, which they now knew for certain wasn’t the wisest time to go out scavenging. Slipping in the door, they checked the area and killed any loose wanders before loading the remnants of the shelves into their bag. They grabbed as much as they could, even emptying the arrows from their quiver and filling that, opting to carry the arrows by hand instead. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Deciding to leave before more deadheads showed up, Akemi slipped back out the door and began down the street to the apartment that they had managed to fortify with the others. Reaching the door, they looked around, paranoid that something may have been following behind, before knocking their assigned pattern. Kazumi opened the door, smiling and greeting them as they entered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Akemi, you’re back!” Akemi nodded, giving a small smile. They stepped in, calling out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Teru. I picked up some more shit like you asked, but make sure you ration it. I know you can get crazy and go overboard sometimes.” Mikan stepped out from the other room with Teruteru, tripping over her feet and squealing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wonderful! It’ll be finished in just a few minutes!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A-Akemi..! Th-Thank you for picking up more stuff, I was worried! A-Are you hurt at all?” They shook their head, tossing the bag to Teruteru and dumping the rest out of their quiver.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, ‘m fine.” Kazumi walked over to Mikan, hugging her and reassuringly combing their fingers through her hair. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hrnn… If only I had a 2D girl to encourage me..! Curse this apocalypse!” Hifumi muttered, angrily adjusting his glasses. Akemi began walking to sit down at the couch next to him, before freezing in their steps at hearing a sound.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Something wrong?” Kazumi whispered. Akemi tried to listen for anything else, but was unable to hear another shuffle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We should leave tomorrow. Don’t know how much longer it’ll be safe staying here. We should stay on the move, take out as many dead heads as we can. ‘sides, you need samples, don’t you?” Mikan nodded, pulling out her notebook and rereading over her notes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y-Yes. I-If we can find some place w-with good medical equipment, then I-I think I’ll be able to find something much quicker!” Akemi nodded, packing the rest of the group’s equipment into bags so they could be ready as soon as possible the next morning.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good. We’ll try and find some others. Maybe those first-years—Korekiyo and Kiibo, they would probably know something. At least about other medicines.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, yes! That sounds like a key objective!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Meal’s just about ready, folks! We need some grub for tomorrow, right? C’mon, eat your fill!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Throwing another pair of scissors, Syo cackled as the last zombie fell to the ground. She plucked the scissors from it’s head, collecting the rest from the already fallen ones.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That was amazing..! I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” Tsumugi commented, one arm crossed against her chest while she held her head in the palm of her other hand. Syo smiled smugly, one hand on her hip and the other holding the scissors fresh with blood.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kyahaha! You can sure be expecting a helluva lot more of </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>! This is exciting!” With the effects of the stun gun wearing off, Toko returned, a bit dazed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh.. a-are they all gone?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yup! Everything is taken care of.” Komaru spoke, putting away her gun. The sound of gurgling grew louder, alerting them that more were to arrive soon. “We’d better get out of here before any more trouble happens.” Tsumugi and Toko agreed, the three rushing in the direction of the store they had taken refuge in. Once slipping in through the door and blocking it off with some heavy furniture, Tsumugi suddenly gasped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh- Toko! You’ve done it again!” Tsumugi grabbed onto Toko’s sleeve, who tried to pull back with a shriek.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“D-Don’t just grab me like that! W-What’s wrong with you?!” Tsumugi frowned, pulling out a needle and some thread.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you didn’t keep ripping your clothes, then I wouldn’t have to fix it.” Tsumugi, pushing her glasses up her nose, quickly got to work at fixing the sleeve.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W-We’re in an apocalypse! O-Of course it’s going to get ripped!” Komaru laughed softly, lighting the lantern as she knew that Toko wasn’t all too fond of the dark. “And what are you laughing at?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m just glad to see that you’re still good old Toko.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wh-What’s that supposed to mean—?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There! All finished~” Tsumugi cut the thread, admiring her work before Toko pried her arm away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I hope you aren’t planning on fixing every little tear we get in our clothes.. I-It’s annoying..” Tsumugi leaned forward slightly and held her hand up, pointing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have to do </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> to keep my hands busy whenever we’re not running for our lives.” With a sigh, she looked down, holding her left arm. “I just hope that things get back to normal soon… I’m all for an exciting anime, but I’m too plain to actually survive something like this myself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Idiot,” Toko huffed, nervously messing with her fingers. “Y-You aren’t just planning on giving up now, are you? I-If we’re going to die, it should at least be while we try to fix this—not while we just sit there sucking on our thumbs!” Tsumugi thought about her words, before smiling and clasping her hands together.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you’re right. Let’s keep fighting until the very end! We have to keep hope!”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I only realized once I started writing, but I don't know how to write Teruteru or Hifumi's characters T^T Anyways- I hope that this next part was interesting! I'll try to post a chapter every other day :&gt;</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Day Eight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sonia, Ibuki, and Akane run into Fuyuhiko's group, who has the idea to build a safe-zone and make it easier to locate the remainder of their friends.<br/>~~~<br/>Tenko encourages Himiko, who has lost hope and the will to fight.<br/>~~~<br/>Rantaro runs into Ryoma, both who are surprised to finally have found someone who is friendly in the current times.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I believe that is all of them!” Sonia exclaimed, holding her arm while raising a fist. She tilted her head to the side, lowering her hands in front of her. “Ibuki, can you hear anything else?” Ibuki listened carefully, while Akane sniffed the air.</p><p>“Wait, wait! Ibuki hears something! Not a chomper, though…”</p><p>“Yeah, I smell somethin’ too…” Akane’s eyes suddenly lit up, while Ibuki began jumping up and down.</p><p>“I know the sound of those footsteps anywhere! San-D!” Sonia gasped, and sparkles seemed to appear in her eyes.</p><p>“That must mean that the Devas are nearby! Perhaps Gundham or our other friends are with them as well!”</p><p>“If not, they still could be used as food rations…” Akane added, salivating slightly. With a small patter of footsteps, Sonia felt something jump onto her dress and climb up her arm. She smiled, carefully holding San-D in her hands.</p><p>“Oh, it’s so nice to see you! Are the other Devas with you?” She asked. San-D grabbed Sonia’s finger, tugging on it before jumping down and running from the direction she had supposedly come from. “Let us follow where she is taking us!” Sonia cheered before rushing after the hamster. Ibuki and Akane were quick to follow, senses on the alert. As they grew closer to their destination, the sound of more voices grew louder.</p><p>“...This is ridiculous.”</p><p>“I don’t believe it! Let’s just get out of here before more of those freakazoids come!”</p><p>“There will certainly be more arriving if you continue to shout and draw them here yourself.”</p><p>“Sh-Shut up!”</p><p>“Halt! San-D has returned!” Although Sonia could recognize the group by the sound of their voices, she was still more than thrilled to see them when she turned the corner.</p><p>“Holy shit,” Fuyuhiko muttered, surprised that San-D had actually managed to locate them. Peko stayed silent, though gave a small smile.</p><p>“W-Woah!” Kazuichi exclaimed. “You guys are actually here?!”</p><p>“Ha! Foolish mortals, I told you my Dark Devas could sense a familiar presence.” Gundham boasted, crossing his arms smugly as San-D nibbled on an awarded sunflower seed.</p><p>“It is wonderful to see you all again, and in good health!” Sonia said, smiling warmly. Ibuki stuck her tongue out and winked, holding up a peace sign.</p><p>“Long time no see!”</p><p>“Huh, so I guess you <em> haven’t </em> resorted to using them as food rations yet.”</p><p>“Sonia,” Fuyuhiko called, walking up to her. He didn’t show much emotion, though it was easy to tell he was relieved that they were alright. “I”m actually glad that you’re here, I was hoping we’d find into you soon.”</p><p>“Hey, that’s no fair!” Kazuichi shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him.</p><p>“Shut up, dumbass! You know I meant nothing like that!” Fuyuhiko shook his head with an agitated sigh, before handing a roll of paper to Sonia. “You’re the Ultimate Princess, and you’ve got great leadership skills, yeah? I was thinking about starting to rebuild some sort of ‘safe-zone’ so we’re not on the move constantly, and we might have a better chance of finding other students from Hope’s Peak.” Sonia unrolled the paper, reading over the ideas with a quiet hum.</p><p>“It would be too complicated with just the four of us, but I think it may be possible now that you guys showed up.” He glanced to the side, putting his hands into his pockets. “So? What do you think?” Sonia nodded, a determined smile on her face.</p><p>“Yes! I believe that this will most certainly help!”</p><p>
  <b>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b>
</p><p>“Nyeh…”</p><p>“C’mon, Himiko! You can do it!” Himiko’s shoulders slumped, and she looked at the weapon in her hand. Tenko, who had been trying to cheer her on, frowned slightly. “Himiko, you have to be able to protect yourself! Imagine it as a degenerate male! Or someone insulting your amazing magic!”</p><p>“Nyeh….” Himiko dropped the nunchucks in front of her, sitting down on the ground. Tenko rushed over to her.</p><p>“I-Is something wrong? Do you need to eat to restore your mana?”</p><p>“I’m too tired for this, Tenko…” Tenko held her hands up in a pose, offering a supportive smile.</p><p>“That’s okay! You aren’t used to lots of training, so we can always try tomorro—”</p><p>“No, Tenko!” Himiko raised her voice, furrowing her eyebrows. “I mean I’m too tired for all of <em> this </em>…” She held her knees to her chest, and rested her head on them. “Nyeh… Even with my magic, there’s no way that I can survive this… I don’t care anymore…” Tenko felt her heart practically shatter, and grew immensely worried.</p><p>“Don’t say that, Himiko! As long as I’m here, I won’t let anyone or anything hurt you!” Holding her fingers together, she hesitated for a moment. “But.. since I can’t promise that I’ll always be here to protect you, I need to know that you can protect yourself, too!” Himiko stayed silent, her eyes dull.</p><p>“D-Don’t you want to paint with Angie again? And drink Kirumi’s tea, and listen to Kaede’s music? You still have so many people to show your magic to! So.. live—keep fighting and survive with me until we can find our friends again!” With a quiet ‘nyeh,’ Himiko thought, before taking Tenko’s hand and standing up, brushing the dirt off of her torn skirt.</p><p>“Okay.. I suppose I <em> did </em> promise everyone a magic show…” She muttered, picking up the discarded nunchucks.</p><p>“Alright!” Tenko cheered, holding her fists up excitedly. “Don’t worry, Himiko! I’ll stick by you no matter what! Let’s start with the basics!”</p><p>
  <b>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b>
</p><p>Rantaro exhaled as he walked around the upturned tables and chairs in the destroyed room, cautious of the bodies in case they were still moving. He had originally taken the route to avoid the mass of zombies in the street below, though something unusual sounding caught his attention. </p><p>Taking a peek out one of the already shattered windows, he tried to get a closer look at what was happening. The zombies in the streets were falling by the minute, but it wasn’t exactly gunshots that he was hearing. He was confused, until he noticed what exactly the sound was and where it was coming from. He smiled, chuckling softly at recognizing the <em> ‘thwap’ </em> of a tennis racket and who was hitting the tennis balls through the heads of the dead. Instinctively, he leaned back away from the window and pressed his back against the wall, just before a tennis ball came flying through the window and bouncing around the room.</p><p>“Heh,” Rantaro laughed quietly. “Guess he knew someone was watching him, just not who exactly.” Picking up the tennis ball and inspecting it, he noticed that it had writing on it.</p><p><b> <em>‘Friend or foe?’</em> </b> </p><p>Rantaro smiled, searching for a pen in the various desks before writing beneath it and walking back over to the window. Ryoma was sitting on top of a car, his eyes closed and a candy cigarette in his mouth. Most of the zombies on the street had been dealt with, and Rantaro could tell he was on the alert for if one was to attack him. Rolling his shoulder, Rantaro winded up his arm and threw the ball down to Ryoma, who caught it expectedly. He twisted it around in his hand, looking for the writing.</p><p><b> <em>‘Just an old pal’</em> </b> </p><p>After the reply, a small avocado had been drawn. Ryoma looked up, smiling once he recognized the person in the window. He motioned for Rantaro to come down to the street, who nodded and left the view of the window.</p><p>After a couple of minutes, the door to the building opened with a squeak and Rantaro walked out, waving to Ryoma who slide off of the roof of the car.</p><p>“Long time no see, eh?”</p><p>“I’d say. Wasn’t expecting to see anyone around, but I’ve got to say that it’s a nice surprise.” Rantaro laughed quietly, feeling relieved. After not seeing anyone for such a long time, it was nice to know that at least one of his friends was still alive.</p><p>“Looks like you’ve been fairing well.” He crossed his arms, expression growing more serious. “Have you run into anyone else since this all started?” Ryoma shook his head, pulling a hand out of his pockets and taking the candy cigarette out of his mouth.</p><p>“No one other than grievers and these brainless things. I’m guessing it’s the same for you?” Rantaro nodded, holding his hands to his hips. Ryoma sighed, before shrugging and popping the candy stick back into his mouth. “Well, nothing we can do but hope they don’t do anything stupid.” Rantaro agreed, looking at the street behind them.</p><p>“Looks like more of ‘em want front seats. Damn, they just don’t stop coming.”</p><p>“As much as I’d like to stick around, I really don’t feel like picking up a bunch of tennis balls again.”</p><p>“I get what you mean. So, you up for looking around for others together?”</p><p>“Sure thing.” Ryoma held a thumbs up. “I’m sure we could both use the company.” With a nod, they both started to jog away from the horde. “Sorry for nearly taking your head off back there, by the way. Can’t be completely sure these days.” Rantaro laughed, brushing it off.</p><p>“It’s no big deal, I know what you mean. It was a nice shot.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Day Eleven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nekomaru forces a reluctant Yasuhiro to help clear the surrounding area, and Hiyoko searches for more gummies while Mahiru reminisces about the rest of their missing class.<br/>~~~<br/>Mondo, Kiyotaka, and Chihiro prepare to take a route which they believe will avoid interfering with the nearby hordes.<br/>~~~<br/>Makoto, Kyoko, Byakuya, Aoi, and Sakura prepare to head east the next morning.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Would you knock it off already? Geez… men can never do anything on their own…” Mahiru mumbled, pushing a dresser in front of the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“H-Hey! Listen, those things are creepy! They’re basically like ghosts, but we can </span>
  <em>
    <span>see</span>
  </em>
  <span> them!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop being such a whiner.” Hiyoko said, glaring at Yasuhiro as she ate some of the gummies from her bag.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gahaha! Over a week since we’ve been surviving, and you still haven’t gotten used to them yet?” Nekomaru added, laughing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Gotten used to them?!’ This is a freaking apocalypse, man! You don’t just spend a couple of days nearly getting eaten and then ‘get used’ to it!” Yasuhiro argued, clutching his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Must I do everything around here by myself?” Mahiru grumbled, placing a hand on her hips and pointing at the two. “Hey, if you’ve got time to sit around and complain, you’ve got time to help fortify this store!” Hiyoko snickered, sitting snugly on the counter and kicking her legs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right! C’mon, Hiro. Man up! Let’s go and kick some ass!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And would it kill you to learn some manners after all these years?” With Nekomaru dragging a screaming Yasuhiro outside to clear the area, Mahiru sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna go and see if there’s anymore candy around here. I’m running out of my gummies, and that spiky-haired dumbass keeps trying to take some when I’m not looking!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t eat too many sweets, Hiyoko,” Mahiru called after her, worry evident in her tone. “You still need to stay healthy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah. I hear ya, Mahiru.” With Hiyoko exploring whatever section of the store, she exhaled and looked around the now quiet room. She turned on her camera, snapping a picture of the store. It would be nice to have before and after images to look back at… She couldn’t help but feel like she had a certain responsibility to photograph these awful times, like the way her mother would.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mahiru found herself smiling sadly as she removed the modified battery, setting it near a window in the sunlight for it to charge. She still remembers when Kazuichi gave it to her, and how much simpler it was to take photos without needing to worry about running out of battery. Thinking of Kazuichi’s gadgets only reminded her of her class, and she was thankful that she could at least be with two of them; along with Yasuhiro, but geez that guy could get annoying sometimes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Everyone else is smart… They can’t die before I get the chance to scold them for making me worry.” She murmured, placing her camera next to the charging battery and beginning to tidy up the inside of their new home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Damn dead-heads!” Mondo yelled angrily, swinging the bat and nearly knocking the head clean off of one of the zombies.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I’m sorry..! I froze up..!” Chihiro choked out through tears, holding a pipe close to his chest. It almost looked like he could snap it in half with his fear itself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it, little dude.” Mondo reassured, looking around with the baseball bat resting on his shoulder. “Yo, bro. Got any clue where we should head next?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I believe it would be wisest to head in this direction!” Kiyotaka exclaimed, pointing as he adjusted the bag resting on his shoulders. “If I am correct about the route nearby hordes are taking, we will be safest right around here!” He pointed to a place on the map, circling it with a marker.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds good,” Mondo said, one arm resting on Kiyotaka’s shoulder while he looked at the other markings on the map. The area Kiyotaka had circled wasn’t too far away—only about a half a day walk. He wasn’t too worried about running into too many ass-faces, and knew as long as they left soon, they’d definitely make it there before dark. He turned to Chihiro, who had since calmed down a bit from the sudden scare. “By the way, have you managed to get that piece of junk working?” Chihiro fidgeted with the device, determination in his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not yet… I-I’m trying to remember everything Kazuichi and Miu have taught me.” His expression lighted, and he straightened up, hopeful. “But I think I’ve almost got it! It should only take me maybe a few more days, then we can try to contact someone else!” Mondo ruffled Chihiro’s hair with a small smile, standing back up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good job, little dude. Taka, you ready to head out?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes! Just allow me to retrieve the rest of our supplies, and we will be on our way!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How revolting.” Byakuya grimaced at the squelching sound as he nudged a dead zombie with the tip of his shoe, wishing that they would soon come across a building with functioning hot water. He, quite frankly, was disgusted with everything that had happened- </span>
  <em>
    <span>especially</span>
  </em>
  <span> the smell.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is unfortunately necessary for our survival.” Sakura added, taking a quick glance around the area. “Hina, is your arm doing alright?” Aoi nodded, holding her fists up in a pumped manner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m all good! It’s just a little scratch from that fence, it’s nothing too bad.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Still, it would be preferable if you did not die of tetanus.” Kyoko walked over, Makoto next to her as she counted the remaining ammunition in her gun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you need the bandages changed again?” Makoto asked, already pulling his bookbag off of his shoulders. Aoi stopped him, instead pulling a granola bar out from the side pouch with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nah, it’s good for now. Besides, we want to make sure we ration our supplies, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I believe we have enough to last us for several more days, though stopping at any nearby stores would certainly be helpful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I believe the best place to stop will be while we head east.” Kyoko inferred, holding a hand to her chin as she remembered the directions on the map.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This conversation is delightful, but may I suggest that we take it inside?” Byakuya grumbled, crossing his arms with a glare. “I can’t speak for everyone, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> for one would prefer to not be attacked while standing in the open.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s probably for the best…” Makoto agreed, laughing nervously. “We can always discuss more later.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Very well. Then tomorrow morning we will move east.” Kyoko looked to the others, who in one way or another gave approval of the plan. “Let us get some much needed rest.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hello!! I apologize for not updating in so long, I'm not dead :&gt; to anyone actually reading this, thank you T^T I can't promise I will update on a schedule, but I've regained some motivation to continue this so far :3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Day Thirteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kokichi and Hoshi run into some old friends, who just so happen to save them after they end up in a tight bind.<br/>~~~<br/>After a sudden attack, Shuichi and Kaito are split up from Kaede and Maki.<br/>~~~<br/>Sonia ponders about the whereabouts of their other friends, while planning on how to improve the current safe zone they have created.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Yeah, can you remind me </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> you thought that was a good idea?!” Kokichi shouted angrily as they ran from the group following them. It wasn’t exactly enough to classify as a horde, but there were definitely more than they would have liked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought I could distract them!” Hoshi argued back, leaning down to pick up a rock before throwing it behind her, hoping to hit one of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And didn’t that work </span>
  <em>
    <span>wonderfully</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just save your breath and keep running!” Kokichi suddenly grabbed Hoshi’s hand, pulling her to the side at a corner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Check those doors, see if you can get them open!” He called breathlessly, already tugging on a doorhandle. Hoshi nodded, following suit. Unfortunately their efforts were anything but successful.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit- they’re all blocked!” Turning around, they noticed that the group of zombies had caught up, and now they were essentially cornered. Hoshi picked up a bottle from off of the ground, throwing it behind the group. A few stray ones turned in the direction of the sound, though it was otherwise useless. She grabbed Kokichi’s hand again, holding the pipe in her other hand as she tried to think of something. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh- s-shit, okay… Uhm… Here, I’ll run in and try to lure them to the side, a-and when you see an opening, try and run for—mbph?!” Hoshi was suddenly cut off as a hand clamped over her mouth, and she noticed in the corner of her eye the same happen to Kokichi. She tried to flail around as the individual began to drag them both away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Easy.” They yanked the two into a nearby building, and the door closed, someone else pushing something in place to block it. Hoshi, while still tense, had stopped thrashing around. The person removed their hands, and both Hoshi and Kokichi whirled around to see…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Rantaro!” They both shouted, immediately lurching forward to bring him into a hug. He laughed, ruffling their hair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey there. That was a pretty close call, wasn’t it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Pssh, like a Supreme Leader would ever be in trouble! Buuut, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>guess</span>
  </em>
  <span> big brother Taro helped out a little.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good to see you’re not dead.” They both turned to the second voice, and Hoshi smiled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ryoma! You too?” Rather than a hug, Ryoma just held up a hand for a fistbump, which Hoshi happily obliged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nishishi! Man, were you guys having a party without inviting me?! How rude!” Hoshi laughed, before exhaling, shoulders relaxing with relief.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s great to see that both of you are alright. Have you run into anyone else so far?” Rantaro shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not yet. We only ran into each other a couple of days ago, we were both on our own to start with.” Kokichi jumped up onto Rantaro’s back and wrapped his arms around his neck, causing him to nearly fall over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, lucky for you two, you’ve completed the quest of finding the Supreme Leader of Evil, which means that he and his accomplice will join your party!” Rantaro chuckled, shaking his head, before picking up a bag laying on the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s good to hear. Glad to have you on the team.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The four sat around the small fire, listening quietly. Maki sent a glare to Kaito, who obviously was growing restless and wanted to either say something or just go outside already.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We have to stay quiet,” Kaede reminded in a whisper. “If we’re too loud, they might hear. There’s too many out there.” Kaito grumbled, running a hand through his hair, which was now back in a ponytail without all of the gel to keep it in it’s usual form.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I know. It just sucks sitting around here.” Shuichi, who had been reading his book, suddenly sat up, causing the others to grow concerned. “Something wrong, sidekick?” Shuichi seemed to pale, quickly shoving the book back into his bag.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We have to get out of this room, </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>—” His warning was a tad too late, as the wall suddenly caved in, a much, </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span> larger zombie stumbling in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Kaito shouted, grabbing a nearby chair as he stood up and launching it at the monster.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell? Did it evolve?” Maki asked, knife ready. She’d rather not shoot it with her crossbow if there wasn’t a way to get the arrows back, and since she wasn’t sure if bullets would harm it, her knife was the best option.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shuichi! What should we do?” Kaede asked, turning to him. He was much better at reading dangerous situations like these, and had already gotten them out of quite a few binds before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W-We need to run! If it has evolved, we have no idea what it can—!” The creature lugged forward with a sudden growl, swinging it’s… arm? The arm hit Kaito head on, causing him to fly backwards and into the wall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ggh..!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kaito!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There are more coming!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We have to go! Now!” Shuichi quickly ran over to help Kaito, ushering him towards the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, Maki-roll!” Maki, although reluctantly, ran after the other three, and they ventured further into the building, trying to ignore how the creature shouted and attracted even more zombies to them. As they arrived at a certain portion of the stairs, they noticed that it seemed like they were about to collapse.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kaede, Maki! Y-You two go across first, hurry!” Maki wasted no time leaping across, steading her balance as the floor creaked underneath her landing. Kaede, on the other hand, seemed hesitant to leave the other two behind, worried about what would happen if they split up. “Kaede, trust me! Just go, we’ll be right behind you!” Kaede took a deep breath and nodded, following Maki’s steps. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay! I think it’s safe, now just—” The evolved zombie had somehow caught up, bursting through the wall and causing the floor to completely collapse, separating Kaede and Maki from Shuichi and Kaito.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“S-Shit! Kaito, what do we—?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You two go on ahead! Shuichi and I will catch up later!” Kaito called to the two, jumping down to the other floor. “Come on, sidekick!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wh- H-Huh?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shuichi, you have to go with Kaito!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Both of you better not die, or I’ll kill you myself.” Shuichi’s body felt like it was frozen, but his mind knew that there were two options here: Follow Kaito, or get killed by this extremely powerful evolved zombie. He much preferred the former, and forced his legs to move, jumping down after Kaito and narrowly avoiding a swing from the creature.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W-We’ll find both of you soon! Just keep running!” He called up to them before Kaito grabbed his arm, urging them to hurry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, sidekick. They can take care of themselves, Maki-roll would never let anything bad happen.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“R-Right, let’s go..!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sonia hummed to herself as she walked around the room, the fire crackling in the background as her shoes tapped against the floor. So far, their little “safe-zone” that they had built up was fairing quite well. Not to mention, they had even managed to find Mikan, Akemi, Teruteru, Kazumi, and Hifumi, bumping up their current number of survivors from seven to twelve. With those numbers, they only had to find the remaining forty-two of their classmates! She sighed, wondering how her own kingdom was doing. Would they be able to survive without her there to lead them..? No.. she couldn’t worry about that right now. Her classmates and fellow students were depending on her, and she already had the responsibility of looking after them at this current moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuyuhiko has done a wonderful job assisting with the planning, and Peko and Akemi are doing splendid with the defense side of things…” She spoke aloud to herself, continuing her pacing. “Mikan will hopefully be able to run some more tests, and Kazuichi should be able to finish that communication device within the next couple of days.” She held her hands together, looking out the window of her personal cabin to look up at the stars.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, this is going well! I dearly hope we will find our classmates soon… I wonder, are they looking up at the same sky I am?” Sonia smiled hopefully at the stars. “Yes… I believe that some of our friends are. I’m sure you cannot hear me, though I send you my best regards.” She rolled up the plans on the table, checking to make sure her door was locked before sending one last glance to the starry night sky before turning in for the night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please return safely… We are all worried for you.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Day Eighteen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Shuichi and Kaito get split up after another unexpected attack.<br/>~~~<br/>Kokichi and Hoshi, and Rantaro and Ryoma split up to search for supplies; both pairs reunite with friends.<br/>~~~<br/>Miu, Korekiyo, Kiibo, and Matsuo settle down for the night.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Final OC is introduced in this chapter :) His name is Matsuo Tachibana, the Ultimate Conspiracy Theorist!</p>
<p>Appearance: Messy brown hair and green eyes with black glasses. Green shirt with a brown over jacket, and light-gray pants with black shoes. Carries a stopwatch, notebook, and pen. 5’7.<br/>Personality: Matsuo is extremely intelligent and observant. He always looks into small details, and tries to see the bigger picture of things, and can ramble sometimes when he is passionate about a theory. He is quite friendly, and it is difficult to make him angry or upset. Matsuo always enjoys researching other cultures and will listen to what others are passionate about as well, as he is curious about a lot of things.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Shuichi didn’t know how it had happened. It was just like from a couple of days ago when he and Kaito were split up from Maki and Kaede.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shuichi! Get the hell up!” That’s right, he was on the ground, and there was a sharp pain in his wrist after he had bent it the wrong way while trying to keep the door blocked by the zombies forcing their way inside. He winced as he grabbed the bat dropped on the ground, trying his best to stand back up without putting pressure on it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“K-Kaito, we have to go—!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> have to go! Get out of here!” Kaito was obviously struggling to keep the door shut. Thankfully there wasn’t another one of those freaky evolved ones.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t just leave you here! I—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shuichi! I’m telling ya to get out of here, sidekick!” Kaito pushed one hand against Shuichi’s chest before turning back to block the door. “Go! I’m not gonna say it again! I’ll be fine, just find Maki-roll and Kaede, and you’ll see me sometime later!” He tried to give a reassuring thumbs up. “You can’t kill the Luminary of the Stars that easily!” The door began to crack, and Shuichi’s body moved before he could think.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“S-Stay safe, Kaito! I promise I’ll find Maki!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And he ran.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shuichi burst through the back door of the strange shed-like building he and Kaito had taken shelter in, and ran. He could hear the sound of zombies not far behind him, and worked solely off of survival instincts. Kaito, Maki, Kaede—</span>
  <em>
    <span>Kokichi</span>
  </em>
  <span>- he couldn’t die. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>would not</span>
  </em>
  <span> die until he saw them safe again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, Shuichi was too focused on what was behind him to pay attention to what was </span>
  <em>
    <span>under </span>
  </em>
  <span>him, and something latched onto his ankle, sending him face first into the dirt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ngh! Shit..!” His wrist hurt even worse now, but he ignored that as he beat in the monsters head, hands shaking with fear. “Get..! Off..!” It finally let go, and he crawled backwards before stumbling up. It was then that he noticed that the zombie had crawled out from underneath of an abandoned car, and a gasoline canister was sitting next to it. Shaking it, he immediately screwed off the cap and began pouring it onto the ground, fumbling to pull a match from out of the side pocket of his bag.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please work, please work, please work…” Shuichi backed a few steps up, tossing the match into the gasoline. Some of the zombies that had caught up immediately stepped into the flames, falling and rolling around on the ground. He decided it was best to get out of there before any more could join them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The closest route for an escape he could see was through a forest, and he just prayed to Atua or whatever god out there that it would lead him to something better, and that Kaito would be alright.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ughh… don’t we already have enough supplies? It’s just the four of us! Geez, I guess Miu isn’t the only pig in our class..!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know that it’s better to be prepared. You just don’t feel like walking today.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yup! That’s one hundred percent correct!” Hoshi rolled her eyes, though a small smile formed on her lips. Rantaro had suggested that he and Ryoma split up to search, while she and Kokichi did the same so that way they could cover more ground. Hoshi and Kokichi’s wandering had somehow led them to an abandoned parking lot-ish area which faded into a cluster of trees that Hoshi assumed was a forest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It won’t take long, we’ll just check around these cars and then—” They both stopped walking as they heard something in the trees. It had started to get dark, and was too difficult to see what was there, if anything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Zombie?” Hoshi whispered to Kokichi, cautiously lifting the iron pipe she had. Kokichi unsheathed his knife, holding it at the ready as he whispered back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dunno. Be careful.” They both took hesitant steps forward, only hoping for the best. Just when Hoshi was beginning to think that maybe it was just the wind or a broken tree branch, someone else stepped out from behind the tree line, pointing a gun at them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, holy shit—” Hoshi lowered the pipe, and next to her, Kokichi completely froze. The person behind the gun quickly put the gun down, looking at them both for a moment as if they were seeing them correctly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Shuichi!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Kokichi threw the knife to the ground, immediately running over and practically jumping into his arms locking his arms and legs around him like a koala.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“K-Kokichi!” Shuichi dropped the gun, tightly holding Kokichi as to not drop him. Hoshi held a hand to her mouth, smiling warmly as she watched them. She laughed softly, crouching down to pick up Kokichi’s knife before walking over to join them—she stood back a bit, though, in order to give them their time. She knew how rough Kokichi had been without knowing where Shuichi was or if he was okay.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m never letting you go ever again, meanie. Don’t do that to me, you hear?! Hmph..! Stupid Shuichi making me worry over him.” Shuichi laughed softly as Kokichi leaned his head against his shoulder, pouting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I missed you so much.. I was worried, too.” After a bit, Shuichi finally had to set Kokichi down. He looked over to Hoshi, and began stumbling over his words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hoshi, uhm, s-sorry for pointing a gun at you two—ah!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shaddup, ya dork. It’s no big deal.” She pulled him into a hug, dragging Kokichi back as well. “I’m glad you’re alright. I kept your gremlin safe for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! Supreme Leaders can fully take care of themselves, you know!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure, sure. You two can do all the lovey-dovey stuff you missed out on later, we should get back to Rantaro and Ryoma.” Shuichi lit up at that, relieved.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You two are with Rantaro and Ryoma? That’s good… I—ow!” Kokichi had suddenly grabbed Shuichi’s left wrist as he noticed fabric tied around it, turning it over in his hands before looking up at Shuichi and glaring.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you hurt your wrist?” Shuichi sheepishly looked to the side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y-Yeah… I was with Kaede, Maki, and Kaito, but then we got split up. Then I got split up with Kaito, and that’s around when I bent it wrong.” Kokichi huffed, swiftly untying his scarf from around his neck and wrapping it around his wrist.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stupid. Hopefully Taro can do something to help.” Hoshi merely stood by the side, amused. It was comforting to see the two back together, and it meant that now they knew at least five out of the eighteen from their class were safe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, let’s head back.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When they returned to the building they settled down in for the night, they were confused at first to hear more voices. They didn’t sound panicked, though, and Hoshi knew Rantaro and Ryoma had encountered plenty of griefers before. They stepped through the door, where a small fire was heating up a pot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re back,” Rantaro greeted. “Hey, look who we ran into.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shuichi!” One of the people suddenly jumped up from the fire, running over to them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kaede?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You found Shuichi?” Ryoma asked, relief evident in his tone. “Damn, looks like this worked out better than we could have expected.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where’s Kaito?” Everyone went silent, and Maki’s cold tone made it feel like the room dropped a couple of degrees even with the fire.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Miss Assassin,” Kokichi snapped, tugging Shuichi’s right hand closer to him and holding onto it tightly. “Shuichi isn’t responsible for your dumb boyfriend, or anyone else for that matter, so don’t even </span>
  <em>
    <span>think</span>
  </em>
  <span> about blaming him for something that isn’t his fault.” Maki stood up with a threatening look directed at Kokichi, and Kaede dashed back over to put her hands on her shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Everyone calm down.” Hoshi interjected, standing between the two and holding her arms up. She looked from Maki to Kokichi, sending both a glare. “Both of you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kaito and I got split up after more zombies attacked us… I-I’m sorry, he told me to run- I didn’t want to, but…” Shuichi trailed off, leaving the room in another uncomfortable silence. Maki sat back down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not your fault. I know that idiot will be fine. Just get over here so we can eat already.” Hoshi sighed with relief, setting down her bag against the wall. She’d rather not have to step in between Kokichi and Maki. Her throat hurt just by thinking about the last time she had shoved Kokichi out of the way and gotten strangled instead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Big brooo! Shumai hurt his wrist, can you look at it? Pwetty pwease?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As long as you stop talking like that, sure thing,” Rantaro replied, standing up and giving Shuichi a hug and quick pat on the back. “Good to see you again. Let me take a look at it.” Kaede suddenly spoke up with a worried expression.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, hey Rantaro? I’m not sure if there’s going to be enough…” Hoshi cut in before she knew Ryoma probably would, giving a dismissive wave with her hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not that hungry, I snuck some of the food Kokichi and I found while scavenging.” Kokichi glared at her, obviously seeing through the lie since at no point did she ever eat anything, but she smiled regardless and excused herself outside to the balcony to look up at the sky.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even if their situation wasn’t the most desirable, seeing everyone sit around the table with a bowl of food managed to make her smile, and she was glad that her dear friends could still have a decent meal.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <b>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How disappointing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Disappointing?! Say that again, fucker! I just don’t have the right tools! Damn brain chompers!” Miu threw a wrench across the room, narrowly avoiding Korekiyo who leaned to the side to avoid it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I get that this is frustrating, but could you try to keep it down?” Matsuo asked. “You’re going to alert any zombies nearby, and my arms have had enough for one day.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do not worry, Miu! My injuries are not that bad.” Kiibo reassured. “I can still charge myself, so as long as I do not suffer terrible amounts of damage, I believe that I will be fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah. I know that,” Miu huffed and put her hands on her hips, looking to the side with an annoyed click of her tongue. “I just don’t wanna have to reboot your whole system, it might wipe all of your memories or something.” Korekiyo spoke up from the side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I believe Kiibo is quite okay for the time being, as are we. With that in mind, may I suggest that we get some rest? It is quite late, and if we are to—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shaddup, will ya? I hear ya, we need sleep. Let’s just get this shit over with in the morning.” Matsuo nodded, turning off the lantern</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Very well, then. Let’s get some rest.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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